How your brain works during meditationYour brain processes more thoughts and feelings during meditation than when you are simply relaxing.By Anne Sliper Midling

Mindfulness. Zen. Acem. Meditation drumming. Chakra. Buddhist and transcendental meditation. There are countless ways of meditating, but the purpose behind them all remains basically the same: more peace, less stress, better concentration, greater self-awareness and better processing of thoughts and feelings.

But which of these techniques should a poor stressed-out wretch choose? What does the research say? Very little – at least until now.

Kumara wrote:How your brain works during meditationYour brain processes more thoughts and feelings during meditation than when you are simply relaxing.By Anne Sliper Midling

Mindfulness. Zen. Acem. Meditation drumming. Chakra. Buddhist and transcendental meditation. There are countless ways of meditating, but the purpose behind them all remains basically the same: more peace, less stress, better concentration, greater self-awareness and better processing of thoughts and feelings.

But which of these techniques should a poor stressed-out wretch choose? What does the research say? Very little – at least until now.

Fourteen people who had extensive experience with the Norwegian technique Acem meditation were tested in an MRI machine. In addition to simple resting, they undertook two different mental meditation activities, nondirective meditation and a more concentrative meditation task.

From the wiki page on acem:

Acem Meditation involves the mental repetition of a simple sound, called a meditation sound, a meaningless combination of vowels and consonants which is believed to help mind and body relax and to bring unconscious material closer to consciousness.

Anyone who has tried to switch techniques after getting used to meditating in one way knows how hard it is to drop old mental habits and get accustomed to something new. I think the article might just as well been called "People Who Usually Do One Type of Meditation Dont Do So Well On Another"

I would like to see this repeated with people who are actually adept at different meditation techniques, but the above smells of some kind of bias because of the choice of experimental subjects. Maybe its a press release from the Acem people

“The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling.” ― Robert M. Pirsig

What Makes an Elder? :A head of gray hairs doesn't mean one's an elder. Advanced in years, one's called an old fool.But one in whom there is truth, restraint, rectitude, gentleness,self-control, he's called an elder, his impurities disgorged, enlightened.-Dhammpada, 19, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

For Buddhists, yes (see below). But for secular people, the goal is usually similar to what they stated.

"In the same way, my friend, purity in terms of virtue is simply for the sake of purity in terms of mind. Purity in terms of mind is simply for the sake of purity in terms of view. Purity in terms of view is simply for the sake of purity in terms of the overcoming of perplexity. Purity in terms of the overcoming of perplexity is simply for the sake of purity in terms of knowledge & vision of what is & is not the path. Purity in terms of knowledge & vision of what is & is not the path is simply for the sake of purity in terms of knowledge & vision of the way. Purity in terms of knowledge & vision of the way is simply for the sake of purity in terms of knowledge & vision. Purity in terms of knowledge & vision is simply for the sake of total Unbinding through lack of clinging. And it's for the sake of total Unbinding through lack of clinging that the holy life is lived under the Blessed One."

Fourteen people who had extensive experience with the Norwegian technique Acem meditation were tested in an MRI machine. In addition to simple resting, they undertook two different mental meditation activities, nondirective meditation and a more concentrative meditation task.

From the wiki page on acem:

Acem Meditation involves the mental repetition of a simple sound, called a meditation sound, a meaningless combination of vowels and consonants which is believed to help mind and body relax and to bring unconscious material closer to consciousness.

Anyone who has tried to switch techniques after getting used to meditating in one way knows how hard it is to drop old mental habits and get accustomed to something new. I think the article might just as well been called "People Who Usually Do One Type of Meditation Dont Do So Well On Another"

I would like to see this repeated with people who are actually adept at different meditation techniques, but the above smells of some kind of bias because of the choice of experimental subjects. Maybe its a press release from the Acem people

Thanks for that. So, the study showed that their usual technique is not so helpful to them!

"Stay mindful, monks, and alert...."And how is a monk alert? There is the case where feelings are known to the monk as they arise, known as they persist, known as they subside. Thoughts are known to him as they arise, known as they persist, known as they subside. Perceptions are known to him as they arise, known as they persist, known as they subside. This is how a monk is alert.(http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html)

I'm struck by a similarity of term and meaning. There's an inconspicuous term in SN47.10: appaṇidhāya bhāvanā “cultivation without having directed”. It's defined thus:

Not having directed (appaṇidhāya) the mind outwardly, a bhikkhu discerns: ‘My mind is not directed outwardly.’ Then he discerns: ‘It is persistently unconstricted, liberated, undirected.’ And then he also discerns: ‘I dwell contemplating the body in the body [similarly for feelings, mind and mind-objects], ardent, properly discerning, mindful; I am happy.’